More than thirty years after their critically-acclaimed debut, Irish art-pop outfit Swim have returned with a new album, Nightstock. Built from rich textures and poetic abstractions, the album sees original members Joe Reilly and John McCrea reunited. Joe Reilly reflects on inspiration, artistic freedom, and why legacy doesn’t matter.
What led the two of you to collaborate after more than three decades apart?
We met last Summer 2024. Socially, with no meaningful intention to work together. But, pretty soon I was sending lyrics to John. ‘Daria’ was the first one. And it spiralled from there.
Nightstock feels like a break from conventional structure. What was liberating (or challenging) about that shift in approach?
The nature of the lyrics removed any notion of classical song structure. John likes to work from lyrics. Therefore, I was free to write, without having to consider structured forms.
You’ve said ‘Tony’s House’ came together in just a few hours. How often does inspiration strike that quickly, and how do you know when to trust it?
Inspiration is a funny and odd thing. I’m never sure when it’s actually happening. ‘Tony’s House’ was a unique curiosity. I saw the painting by Edward Hopper, and I asked myself, “What happened there?” And so Tony and his strange world came into being.
Are visual arts often part of your songwriting process?
The visual arts have been invaluable to me. The works of Mark Rothko, Edward Hopper and the films of Fellini and Paolo Sorrentino have been hugely influential. This cannot be understated.
The album was recorded in a short number of sessions, was there an urgency you felt this time around that wasn’t present in your earlier work?
The album was recorded in a very short period. The sessions were joyful and full of positivity. Little or no pre production was involved, which led to a very open minded approach to the work. Ger and John were very much open to exploring all possibilities when it came to the songs.
Swim’s debut album Sundrive Road was recorded with Steely Dan’s Gary Katz. What are your memories of that experience?
Sundrive Road, is but a distant memory. I no longer recognise the person who helped write it. A romantic vision of middle America, influenced by the work of John Ford and Howard Hawks is what lingers.
You toured with Fleetwood Mac and Cher. What impact did they have on your perspective as artists?
Swim were never interested in being a rock band. Our inspiration came from The Brill Building rather than the sweaty rehearsal rooms of the punk era. We liked sophistication, and were blessed by the fact that each band member was accomplished in their role as musicians. Touring for John and I was never enjoyable. A necessary, but unavoidable evil.
At the time, your sound was described as being out of step with the Irish scene. Did that outsider status feel like a burden or a badge of honour?
I’m not sure that we were out of step. Rather, we were far too traditional in our approach to songwriting. Our heroes, were Bacharach, Porter, Jimmy Webb. They weren’t cool references back then.
Do you see this new record as a continuation, a reboot, or something apart from Swim’s original trajectory?
I genuinely don’t believe in legacy. Work is there to be enjoyed. Or not. I don’t see this new album as a reboot or a new imagining of Swim. It’s a piece of art, to be enjoyed or ignored. We made it. We stand by it.
What have your lives looked like over the last thirty years, creatively and personally? Did music ever completely leave the room?
Music never left the room. It just went out for a pack of cigarettes and never came back. Thankfully, I’ve stopped smoking. Goodnight.
